Sharp enough for a lifetime

My Santa contacted me and asked a very important question: old school or fancy new? I told him, and he delivered.

You have no idea how much this gift meant to me. I grew up whittling wood. I will add a moon shape to the handle when I carve it in your honor.

Thank you, and Happy Arbitrary Day to you, Chris. May your Reddit karma catch up to you in real life.

Body of the letter he sent me:

"Howdy!

So I looked around and thought about your hobbies/interests and came up with this! It's an 8" Opinel Stainless Steel knife. It was made in France, and is quite famous. It's a "peasant knife" and folks like Picasso used them!

They've been around since 1890 and are so ubiquitous that the word Opinel means pocket knife in French.

They keep an edge very well and are basically indestructible. The lock mechanism is also quite unique and old-school-cool. I checked to make sure it was also legal in California! [yey] They can be used for some wood carving, but also the handles are often carved for fun. Search "Opinel Carving" sometime to see tons of rad designs. This one has a walnut handle so it will carve easily as the wood is new, hold fine detail, and harden over time.

The knife is also one of the favorites of /r/knives and /r/buyitforlife. It should last your lifetime if well taken care of! Enjoy, and I hope it brings some charm to your every day while providing awesome & timeless utility! :)